Meeting at LingSheng Su Temple
by Half-elf
Summary: SC III, Talim's path. An extended version of the scene where she and Yun-seong meet Seong Mi-na.


AN: This is an extension of the scene in SC III when Talim and Yun-seong run into Seong Mi-na. Just something that popped up and wanted to be written.

Disclaimer: I haven't even played SC IV yet… what makes you think that I would own the third one. Nope, not makin' any money from this.

O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O

The temple ruins lay before them, a cry from generations past and reeking of the evil taint that had drawn them there.

Yun-seong felt his skin crawl as the malevolent air seemed to close around him. Glancing to the young woman beside him he briefly thought how this new sensitivity was probably due to her influence. Shaking his head, he moved around the tumbled buildings looking for anything to guide them on their journey.

He never heard the person come up behind him.

O.o.o.o.o.O

Talim smiled when Yun-seong left her side to prowl around the ruins. He was so impatient sometimes. She cast one more look at him over her shoulder before moving to the center of the courtyard.

Closing her eyes, she felt the wind around her. There was so much pain here; screams echoed in the wind, the scent of blood filled the air. And rage, rage so violent she was almost sick with it.

Yes, there certainly was evil here, terrible evil, but it was not the evil they sought. Sighing she turned to seek out Yun-seong only to see a young woman bash him on the back of the head.

"Yun-seong?" Talim raced forward to place herself between the woman and her fallen friend. Weapons drawn, she faced the taller woman fearlessly.

The woman looked down at her in speculation, not seeing how such a small child could post a threat. Her eyes flickered to the man on the ground and she smiled when the girl moved to block him from her sight. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. "Come on then. Let's have some fun."

She launched forward with alarming speed but Talim was able to push her back, away from where Yun-seong lay on the ground.

Talim circled the woman carefully, wary of the large weapon's reach. There was something odd about this. There was no sense of malice from this woman. The wind around her was light and carefree, almost… playful.

The blade snapped forward, slicing through the air where her head once was. Talim immersed herself in the wind, concentrating on the battle at hand.

The battle raged all over the broken courtyard. Talim danced in and out of reach, landing blow after blow, keeping the older woman on her guard. Sweeping low she aimed a blow to knock the other woman down.

She flipped gracefully over the strike. Landing close to Talim she grabbed her roughly and slammed her into the ground.

Stars flashed in Talim's vision. She gulped in a deep breath before surging to her feet. For a moment her heart froze. The woman was headed for Yun-seong.

A rush of adrenaline sent her forward in a flurry of movement. The other woman spun around in surprise. The series of quick strikes pushed her back, kept her off balance. Talim bent low and came up with a powerful hit. The woman flew a few feet back and landed hard.

Talim breathed heavily. She cast a brief look at Yun-seong to make sure he was alright before going over to the woman. She kicked the weapon from her hand and watched it skitter across the stones noisily. Talim prodded her with her foot.

When the woman's eyes blinked open, Talim raised her elbow blades in warning. Slowly, cautiously, the woman pushed herself into a sitting position and smiled… widely. "You're pretty good."

Talim blinked in confusion at her bright tone. "Um… thank you." Talim looked at her uncertainly. 'Such an odd person. But her aura is so… pure.' She shook her head. "I don't understand. Who are you?"

The young woman smiled wider. "My name's Seong Mi-na. I'm a friend of Yun-seong's. We are students together." At Talim's doubtful look she continued. "Honest. I've been looking for him since he ran off." She laughed. "That boy can't seem to keep himself out of trouble."

"But… but you hit him." Talim's gentle voice was tinged with anger.

Seong Mi-na waved her concern off airily. "He's got a hard head. Besides, he's so stubborn that's really the only way to get him to listen to you."

Talim thought back to some of the arguments they'd had during their journey and nodded. "I suppose… But why did you fight me?"

She shrugged. "To test you, see how good you were. Especially since you seem to have my friend's back." She grinned slyly. "So, what _are_ you doing out here all alone with him…"

Talim blushed at having forgotten to introduce herself. "Talim. My name is Talim."

"Talim." Seong Mi-na tested the name on her tongue then smiled. "I like it. But the question still stands."

So Talim told her how they met, of the boy and the children by the water mill. And of their journey together.

She was impressed.

"Well, I guess I don't really need to worry about him after all." She winked. "He's definitely in good hands." She thought back to how fiercely Talim fought when she thought he was in danger. "Definitely."

With that she pushed herself to her feet and retrieved her halberd. Dusting herself off, she looked at Talim and smiled. "I'll be off then. Oh… and give him a message for me."

When she relayed her message Talim looked at her in confusion but Seong Mi-na only smiled and winked. "Trust me, he'll understand." With a final wave she was off, leaving Talim to wait for her friend to awaken.

O.o.o.o.o.O

A short while later, Yun-seong moaned, rolled over, and rubbed at the sore spot on the back of his head.

"Are you alright?"

The soft voice by his elbow made him look over. Talim kneeled beside him, a water skin all ready for him to use. After a moment to assess his injuries he nodded. "What happened?"

She laughed slightly. "A slight misunderstanding."

He glared at her. "My head hurts too much to deal with anything cryptic right now."

"Grouch." A teasing smile crossed her lips. "It was a friend of yours. Female, brown hair and eyes, your height… very energetic…"

He groaned. "Carrying a halberd?" She nodded. "Seong Mi-na."

"Yes."

He looked her over carefully, noticing the scrapes and faint bruises on her skin. "Are you okay?" He tried to tone down the worry in his tone.

She smiled brightly. "Of course. I told you, it was just a simple misunderstanding."

He smiled proudly. "You kicked her ass, didn't you?" A tell-tale blush erupted on her cheeks and he laughed. He knew she'd been around him long enough to no longer blush at his language. The small smile lurking around her mouth was a good clue too. "Yep, that's what I thought."

He got to his feet and she scrambled up next to him. "Oh, I almost forgot. She told me to tell you something." He looked at her expectantly. "She said, 'Tell him Mi-na says not to mess up with this one.'"

Yun-seong blushed bright red.

Talim looked at him for clarification. "I don't understand. What did she mean?"

His blush grew brighter. He cleared his throat. "I'll… I'll tell ya later." He sent a smirk in her direction before running off.

"Hey! Yun-seong! That's not fair!" She chased after him. "Get back here! Yun-seong!"

His laughter echoed through the ruins.

O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O.o.o.o.o.O

AN: Well… that's all she wrote. Hoped you liked it. Drop me a line and tell me what you thought.


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